Wolfgang Van Halen was pleasantly surprised to discover that the online community had their doubts about whether he played his guitar parts live at both Taylor Hawkins’ tribute shows in London and Los Angeles this year. He saw this disbelief as a compliment, which is why he playfully retorted with some mean-spirited jokes.
Justin Hawkins, the YouTube celebrity and frontman of The Darkness, provided an amazing balance to Wolf Van Halen’s performance during Taylor Hawkins’ tribute shows. Mammoth WVH was undeniably the pinnacle of both evenings!
Despite Wolf’s firm stance of not performing the Van Halen classics following Eddie’s passing, he has made two noteworthy exceptions in remembrance of his dad and late Foo Fighters drummer.
Through both his stunning performances, Wolfgang proved that he was more than deserving of the family name. His mastery and skill with the guitar were met with glowing reviews from fans across the globe – it was clear to everyone in attendance that Quentin Wolf is one-of-a-kind.
During a conversation with Classic Rock, Wolfgang shared his humbling moment of having the public express that he “did not really do it at all.” He was immensely proud of such recognition and said that some people even went beyond in their praises.
“ The most obvious response is to consider that an insult, but I take it as even more of a compliment,” he said. “You line up the solos, and there are times when I’m not even playing what’s on the [original Van Halen] record.
“Preparing for those shows was really tough, because it forced me to go back and look through those songs. I still wasn’t completely comfortable in doing that, emotionally speaking, so it took a lot.”